TORONTO, April 6 /PRNewswire/ - Starz Animation Toronto, Multiple Media Entertainment (MME), and Gigapix Studios announced that they are set to begin production on the stereoscopic CG animated feature film, with the working title OZ3D, a humorous and contemporary adaptation of the L. Frank Baum classic book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
The film is budgeted at $20 million with Michael Taylor and Drew Craig of MME Executive Producing. The deal was brokered by Starz Animation's EVP Jeff Young. The script was penned by Connor Pritchard (co-creator of the new Comedy Central series Workaholics).
According to Taylor, "Coming off the tremendous job that Starz Animation Toronto did on the hit CG animated feature film Gnomeo and Juliet, they were undeniably the place to go for world class production talent and experience to execute on such an internationally known and beloved property like OZ." Young adds, "We're thrilled to now step into the producing role and maximize the strength of our studio on all levels." Young continued, "Creatively, the OZ3D project is hilarious, perfect for the modern audience and at the same time is respectful of the underlying material."
President of Gigapix Studios, David Pritchard commented, "Working with Starz Animation and MME gives us an unparalleled combination of creative talent and executive experience that provides an excellent foundation for building a long lasting relationship to create and produce high quality animation for OZ3D as well as other projects to come."
Worldwide distribution for the film will be handled by MME. MME and Gigapix have entered into a US representation agreement with Gigapix Studios' distribution company, Gigapix Releasing, securing through its newly formed P&A fund, a minimum commitment of $10MM for a theatrical release on a minimum 1,000 screens.
Starz Animation's Rob Silvestri will be directing. Previously Rob created and directed the multiple award-winning animated short Ormie and worked extensively on Gnomeo & Juliet and the Tim Burton produced animated film "9".
About Starz Animation
Starz Animation is Canada's leading CG-animation and Visual Special Effects studio. Starz Animation is a partnership with majority ownership recently purchased by a Canadian investor group. Starz LLC, a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation remains a minority partner in the new Canadian operations.
About Multiple Media Entertainment, Inc.
Multiple Media Entertainment was founded by Drew Craig and Michael Taylor, who are the company's Chairman and CEO respectfully. Multiple Media Entertainment is a full service media content distribution company with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. It is involved in all aspects of the entertainment content industry, including co-development, co-production, distribution, product integration, branded content and barter distribution.
About Gigapix Studios, Inc.
Gigapix Studios is a diversified independent entertainment company encompassing film, television, new media, and distribution through the newly formed Gigapix Releasing. The company features an experienced and award winning management team of veteran film and television executives, along with digital media and marketing experts. Gigapix Studios and Gigapix Releasing takes a strategic approach towards creating and distributing content with a focus on creating distinct entertainment brands across multiple platforms. Gigapix Studios co-produced the acclaimed feature film, Captain Abu Raed (Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance) as well as the award winning documentary, Baker Boys: Inside the Surge. The Company recently completed production on the scripted comedy series "Workaholics" for Comedy Central, based on a web series developed in-house at Gigapix.
OZ3D Productions Ltd.
CONTACT: Steven Hecht
Starz Animation
Steven.Hecht@Starz.com
(416) 682-5296
Alfred Hopton
Gigapix Studios
ahopton@gigapixstudios.com
(818) 592-0755
